The Peace Corps is a 27-month-long service opportunity for motivated U.S. citizens over 18 to immerse themselves in a community abroad and work alongside local leaders to tackle pressing challenges.
The Peace Corps volunteer program is often called life-defining by the more than 220,000 Americans who have served. Peace Corps volunteers come from all kinds of backgrounds, reflecting the rich diversity of the United States—some are just out of college, while others are mid-career or retired. You can get the chance to fully integrate into a host country community, where you will live and work on projects ranging from education to business development.
The Peace Corps mission is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:
Pablo Arenas Gallo is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers and earned his Master's in Global Affairs from Notre Dame. Prior to that, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eswatini working on HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation projects. Gallo was also the co-director of an organization called Boys Reaching Out (BRO), which teaches life skills, positive male identity, gender equity, HIV prevention, and positive parenting to boys in Eswatini. Gallo is Colombian-American but has lived most of his life in Brazil and the U.S. He speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian fluently, and is conversational in French and Siswati.
Email Pablo at peacecorps@global.rutgers.edu to learn more.
Volunteers live and work in communities abroad, focusing on projects relating to six sector areas: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth in development.
Peace Corps assignments are typically 27 months (three months of training with two years of service). This is to allow Volunteers time to integrate and fully immerse themselves in the local culture.
Most opportunities require a four-year degree, though opportunities are available for individuals with a combination of relative job experience and education.
No, not necessarily. Language requirements vary by job opportunity, and any requirements will be listed in each job opening. Not all opportunities have a language requirement.
Volunteers receive a living allowance that allows you to live in a manner similar to the local people in your community. The Peace Corps also provides complete medical and dental care and covers the cost of transportation to and from your country of service. To assist with the transition back home, Volunteers who start service after October 1, 2016, are paid $9,450 (before taxes and requested allotment deductions) at the close of 27 months of service.
Email peacecorps@global.rutgers.edu any time with questions about the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps offers volunteer programs in over 60 countries, but before you apply to the Peace Corps, it's important that you do your research and consider deeply where in the world you would like to volunteer and what type of work you would most enjoy. Our Rutgers Peace Corps recruiter can help you understand your options and feel confident that you can commit to your selected program.
Agriculture volunteers work with small-scale farmers and families to increase food security and production and adapt to climate change while promoting environmental conservation.
They introduce farmers to techniques that prevent soil erosion, reduce the use of harmful pesticides, and replenish the soil. They work alongside farmers on integrated projects that often combine vegetable gardening, livestock management, agroforestry, and nutrition education.
Volunteers work with development banks, nongovernmental organizations, and municipalities to encourage economic opportunities in communities. They frequently teach in classroom settings and work with entrepreneurs and business owners to develop and market their products.
Some volunteers also teach basic computer skills and help communities take advantage of technologies that connect them to the global marketplace.
Volunteers are important in creating links among schools, parents, and communities. They may work in elementary, secondary, or post secondary schools, teaching subjects such as math, science, or conversational English; or as resource teachers or teacher trainers. Volunteers also develop libraries and technology resource centers.
You can earn your Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate through the Peace Corps.
Volunteers lead grassroots efforts to protect the environment and strengthen understanding of environmental issues. They teach environmental awareness in schools and to local organizations, empowering communities to make their own decisions about how to conserve the local environment.
Volunteers also address environmental degradation by promoting sustainable use of natural resources.
Health volunteers work within their communities to promote important topics such as nutrition, maternal and child health, basic hygiene, and water sanitation.
Volunteers also work in HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs, where they train youth as peer educators, provide support to children orphaned by the disease, and create programs that provide emotional and financial support to families and communities affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Volunteers work with youth in communities to promote engagement and active citizenship, including gender awareness, employability, health and HIV/AIDS education, environmental awareness, sports and fitness programs, and information technology.
Pablo Arenas Gallo, Rutgers Peace Corps Campus Recruiter
848-932-3097, peacecorps@global.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Fridays, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Rutgers Global, 30 College Ave., New Brunswick